White Night
by Firefly Nexus
Summary: Taken from Satellite, Yusei Fudo is inducted into the Yakuza; carrying out acts more illegal than good. Eight years of he and his friends each believing the other dead, Rex Godwin proposes the Fortune Cup to unify the Signers during Jack's reign...
1. Chapter 1

Many people lived in Neo Domino, and Kishimoto Aki was merely one of them.

Unfortunately for him, he belonged to the quarter who were the lowest of the low, those who could only stay on the back streets; those who were on the verge of being sent to Satellite. A gambler by nature, it had been far too easy for him to spend what was left of his parents' fortune.

Therefore, once countless banks rejected granting him the loans he needed, it was only natural that he turned to the Yakuza.

"No! Please! Forgive me, I'll get the money to you by the end of this week!"

Opposite him, the man didn't falter at the desperate pleas. "That's what you said two weeks ago. Unless you can give me a good reason..."

The gun gave a rather ominous click and all the blood drained out of Kishimoto's face. "I'll get it for you. Five hundred thousand yen, plus twenty percent interest – I swear!"

With his arms held defensively over his head, Kishimoto only saw their feet as they adjusted their stance. He held his breath as he awaited their decision – not entirely from his nerves, but rather to avoid breathing in the dust caking the chipped cement slabs beneath him.

"Look up," the man answered finally, and the strange tone of voice gave him hope as he did what he was asked.

He saw nothing but darkness the instant his head was free, and the person that was once Fudo Yusei turned away.

**::**

**White Night  
**_by Firefly Nexus_

**Chapter One**

**::**

Yusei hated his job.

So when he drove through the streets of Neo Domino, he did nothing but try not to think about what he had done. About the life he had ruined beyond belief.

Kishimoto Aki. Blonde-haired, Brown-eyed, slim build. Thirty-five, son of two brilliant lawyers, both deceased, and all finances whittled from bets on illegal duelling.

As he showed the guard his pass, he tried not to concentrate on the firearm he had on him, calming himself with thoughts of Kishimoto's chance to live another day. The streets of Tops passed him by almost mockingly, telling him how futile it really was to avoid killing and how weak it made him to be, but as always, he shut it away in his mind and concentrated on returning back to the office.

Turning the next corner and steering into the entrance, he raised the cuff of his jacket against the sensor on the side. The gates slid open, and then let the elevator take him to the top floor.

Immediately upon arrival, he spotted their butler, looking the same as he always did; tall with sharp eyes, wearing a red tailcoat and a gold-rimmed monocle. Few knew his real name; everybody knew him only as Silver, one of the most skilled mercenaries in the world.

"Master Yusei, the _oyabun_ has asked me to direct you to the sitting room upon your return."

Yusei gave a brief nod in his direction, parking his D-Wheel to the side. Rather than head there immediately, he pocketed the semi-automatic inside the glove box and then disengaged his Duel Disk. Since the sitting room was rarely used and only when they had a guest, it was easy to assume that there was someone else with him.

It never hurt to be too safe in the world of the Yakuza.

Indeed, the sitting room was occupied by a person other than the boss and Yusei would have narrowed his eyes when he saw who it was, but managed to restrain his emotions before he could. Nevertheless, he inclined his head by way of greeting.

"Pleased to meet you again, Mister Godwin."

The corners of Godwin's eyes crinkled in amusement and Yusei knew that his hostility had been noticed. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Yusei." His eyes trailed towards the Duel Disk in an act that would have seemed curious to the normal civilian, but actually calculated in every movement. "How goes your duelling?"

"It is fine." Dropping all pretence, he looked towards the boss of the White Dragon, Ito Ryota. As one of the most dangerous men in his line of work, Ito wasn't exactly what was expected as a boss. With dark hair and a deep, piercing gaze, his eyes were unexpectedly soft for someone who gave out orders to kill on a regular basis.

Yusei gave a deep, respectful bow. The _oyabun_ was not someone you wanted to annoy. "I have completed what you asked, sir."

"And the target?"

"With Security and evidence that he is responsible for three accounts of fraud, Lord Ito."

Ito smiled softly, looking all the more like an innocent civilian chatting idly amongst his friends. In contrast, Godwin raised an eyebrow at the reply. "You are too soft, Yusei. This is the greatest Yakuza family that has ever lived; as one of our core members, behaviour this light should not be tolerated. Do you not agree, Lord Ito?"

The _oyabun_ shook his head. "That is Yusei's nature." He sipped at his tea. "To change that is to change him, and like a mountain, he is someone who cannot be moved."

"Yet with enough time, nature will create its destruction," Godwin countered. "Is it not better that we instil into him this change?"

"You will not. You may be the _saiko-komon_, but that I will not stand."

At the reply, Yusei suppressed a shudder. Ito rarely lowered his voice, and when he did it was dangerous to even be within earshot. It was easy to see that Godwin felt the same way, as the senior advisor gave a bow of his own. "I apologise; that was uncalled for."

Ito gave the slightest of nods to acknowledge the apology, so Godwin continued. "May I ask for your decision regarding the proposal?"

There was silence for a moment as the _oyabun_ steeped his fingers and brought them under his chin in deep contemplation. This was enough to alert Yusei to the fact that the proposal was probably the reason he had been called into the room, because Ito would not have called him to report the status of his trivial mission immediately. He risked a small glance toward Godwin. Despite his position, Godwin often had his own aims, most of which were unknown.

Finally, Ito raised the cup to his lips again. When he removed it he turned towards Yusei, a strange expression on his face. "Yusei."

"Yes, Lord Ito," he echoed.

"Rex has given me an interesting proposition. As you know, the Kaiba Corporation is due to host another tournament at about this time, and now that you are at the age of nineteen, he has suggested it is ideal for your participation. Would you accept?"

Without even glancing in Godwin's direction, Yusei knew that the suggestion definitely had some ulterior motive behind it. Yet, it was difficult to deny the benefits toward the family. Joining one such prestigious tournament would help the reputation of their family by leaps, and also help assert their power whether he won or not.

Yusei had no real choice in the matter, so he was quick to reply. "I can't say, Lord Ito. However, I think that partaking in the tournament can provide quite a large tactical advantage over the Black Soldiers and the Emissaries of Darkness, a legal display of power."

Ito smiled. "You are quite wise, Yusei. Very well, Rex, you have authorisation to begin the Fortune Cup."

Godwin bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him. There were a few sounds of shuffling and hushed voices between him and their butler, but the noises slowly receded.

A small chink prompted Yusei to turn around, and he saw the _oyabun_ extending an envelope in his direction. "This is your formal invitation. You have your deck?"

"Yes, Lord Ito."

Shaking his head, Ito suddenly looked far older than his age as he dropped his guard, sinking back into the chair. He gave a few hacking coughs and reached to the side table for his medication, taking the pills dry.

"Yusei, please. It has been eight years and you are now my son. I expect you to do well in the Fortune Cup, do you understand?"

Yusei bowed his head. "I understand, father."

.

**::**

**.**

"Excuse me, sir!"

Arakawa Yori lifted his cap to find the origin of the sound, but when he couldn't see anyone in that direction he leant back onto the bench and closed his eyes. A slight tugging of his pant leg woke him up again, and he pulled himself up to see who it was.

The boy looked up at him with large, innocent eyes, holding a tangle of wires and machinery in one hand.

Finally noticing, Arakawa got up and knelt so that he was at eye-level with the child, raising his eyebrows comically with a grin. "Well hello, boy. I'm sorry, I didn't see you just then. Name's Arakawa Yori, what's yours?"

His mouth stretched into an impossibly large smile. "I'm Fudo Yusei," he chirped, curiously trying to raise his own eyebrows in the same way. "Mister Arakawa, can I check your boxes?"

Arakawa blinked, surprised. "You mean these boxes, kid?" Vaguely, he gestured to the direction he remembered them to be in. "What do you want to do with the Tops' trash, Yusei? I've still got to take them to Block A."

Yusei furrowed his brows for a moment, and whether it was from his inability to mimic the expression or from deep thinking it was hard to tell.

"I'm looking for an electro-plated twin-directional micro-crystal amplify-chip," he explained, stumbling over the words. He pointed to the group of people who normally stood beside Arakawa in the assembly line, now taking their lunch break in the corner. "Mister Sato and his friends said you had something that looked like it when I went to ask him, so I came to ask you."

Stunned, Arakawa only nodded. Now that he had permission, Yusei jumped up excitedly and arranged the two boxes in front of him, using both hands to search through their contents at the same time in a way that suggested he was used to what he did. About two minutes later he gave a triumphant cry, holding up a cube the size of a hazelnut.

Bringing the bundle of wires in front of him, he brushed away most of the cables and placed the cube onto it, attaching it down with some paperclips and masking tape. Half a minute of fiddling later, Yusei pulled out a dusty laser disk from a pouch around his waist and then plugged it into the device.

He was greeted with the crackling of interference, but with a small but determined splutter, the projector finally displayed the video on the laser.

Jumping up, Yusei was beaming with nothing but pure, unadulterated delight. It didn't matter to him if the video started and stopped at irregular intervals, sometimes skipping entire sections. Excitedly, he closed the boxes before returning them to where they had been sitting before, almost knocking the stack over in his rush before running off.

Just as quickly, he ran back. Remembering his manners, he bowed.

"Thank you, mister!"

Arakawa watched as the young boy hurried to another group of children, all of them welcoming him with cheers and whoops at the turbo duel playing on the handheld. One of them, a purple-eyed blonde in a white hoodie, went up to him with a thrilled sort of interest before pulling out his Duel Monsters deck and showing him a card. In response, Yusei reached into his own pocket and pulled out his own deck and the two of them started an impromptu duel in the Recycling Compound.

It was obvious that Fudo Yusei was a genius, and possibly the exact type of genius that Arakawa was looking for.

_Yes,_ he thought. For Lord Ito to be pleased, he needed to be kept under watch until it was possible to confirm exactly what he needed.

**

* * *

A/N: **So I've been thinking about starting this story for a while. Posting this to see the response from you readers - if I feel like I have enough people interested, I'll continue. If not...eh, you'll see.

It's surprisingly challenging to keep a balance between Japan (Yakuza-Japan and Neo Domino-Japan) and the western community, because some things don't translate well. This version includes the removal of all the honorifics, and I've settled for a simple yakuza setup rather than something truer to the real thing but more complex. That's why I've chosen to keep some Japanese terms that relate directly to the Yakuza, as _oyabun_ means "boss" but is referred to in quite a familial way. They're all explained in the paragraphs that follow, though.

If you've got some issues with me keeping these terms in, please do say so :)

– Firefly Nexus

[Yes, there will be duels. In fact, I've got one planned for the next chapter ;P]


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Just a quick note; duels will be conducted with 8000LP, monsters only summoned face-up attack or facedown defence. TCG-esque rules.

Thanks to FanficFemale, Kirei Ryuusei, KaliAnn and . NyghthawK . for taking the time to leave opinions. Much appreciated :)

**::**

**White Night  
**_by Firefly Nexus_

**Chapter Two**

**::**

Yusei always knew that appearing at the Fortune Cup could not have been a good thing. Certainly, it benefited the family since the Yakuza worked in the public unlike the Mafiya or the Triads, helping with his image as one of the core members of the White Dragon.

Unfortunately, it also meant that he would have to see _him_ again. The current King of Turbo Duellists.

_Jack Atlus_.

He had thought – he had thought he had left his past behind him in Satellite. He didn't want to see someone who brought back the memories he tried to keep suppressed...someone who'd fled before the tragedy that took the lives of everyone he cared.

Standing underneath the stage with the other competitors, he tried not to shift in place. As it was an important public appearance he had chosen to wear a suit, but he couldn't have anticipated the tension above and underneath the stadium to be so stifling.

He glanced briefly towards the Holographic Display Unit in front of them that displayed a live feed of the events aboveground. Jack chose that moment to launch out of the D-Wheel docking bay before landing on the podium above them with a noticeable thud, his key card roaring behind him.

The platform he stood on jerked upwards as they had been warned, the MC beginning his introduction speech. Like instructed before the event started, Yusei stood up straighter and tried to look as casual as he could, the platform clicking into place. He risked a glance to the podium above him and almost sighed with relief that he couldn't see the white D-Wheel, which meant that Jack couldn't see him either.

However, as his profile appeared around the stadium it didn't surprise him when the D-Wheel suddenly accelerated, jerking forward before coming to a stop. A hushed murmuring fell over the crowd, but the MC dismissively commented about accidents happening to everyone.

Of course, it was anything but. Yusei had known that even with the suit and the tinted, visor-like sunglasses, his formerly best friend would have recognised who he was every single time. Once he made his way into the belowground corridors again, he ducked into corners that only he knew and vanished from sight until the time of his first duel.

**::**

He had been heading towards his D-Wheel when tall, dark Bommer somehow found him, stopping him in his tracks with a gentle hand to his shoulder.

Yusei jumped, but quickly recovered, looking back at the man. "Yes?"

"You...Ito Yusei, was it?"

Cautiously, Yusei nodded, unsure where Bommer was going. "I am."

"I have noticed your creeping. You know the King, and by his reaction, he also knows you."

"What happened to us is in the past," he deflected, uneasy. "I prefer to think to the future."

Bommer inclined his head, acknowledging the change of subject. "Then it is no longer my business to intervene. Good day to you, Ito Yusei, and may luck be with you for your duel."

Yusei nodded again more to himself than anyone else, as Bommer already left. Hurrying to the D-Wheel's location, he couldn't help but think about what the other man had said. The conversation played itself in his mind over and over again, but he dismissed the strange feeling as just one of pre-duel anxiety.

_Luck, huh_, he thought, arriving just as the announcer called his name, barely leaving enough time to strap himself in before shooting out of the dock. _Against Shira – the Reaper Reborn, I would need it._

Coming to a stop, he glanced at the D-Wheel next to him. Silver's reports mentioned him as a calmly controlled man that instilled fear into those he duelled, so his opponent was someone to be feared. However, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes when they revved the engine on their runner; the uncharacteristic behaviour meant it was likely there was an imposter in their midst.

His suspicions were answered when 'Shira' pulled off his cloak in one swift movement as soon as the race began, proclaiming himself to be the great Duel Monsters World Champion, Enjo Mukuro. To say that Yusei was surprised when Enjo was allowed to compete in Shira's place was an understatement, but nonetheless he smiled at the comforting rush of adrenaline in his veins.

"I'll begin," Yusei said, inserting his deck into the deck slot. "Draw!"

**/ Yusei: 8000(1) \ - - - - - / Enjo: 8000(1) \**

He slid a sixth card to his hand before selecting two, relishing the speed increase from his first Speed Counter. "I place a monster in defence mode and a card facedown. Your move."

The MC tagged onto his move immediately. "It looks like Ito Yusei has chosen to start defensively!"

Enjo's feral smirk didn't disappear when he drew his own card and their Counters increased again.

**/ Yusei: 8000(2) \ - - - - - / Enjo: 8000(2) \**

"Heh, starting in defence, are you? You get the first turn and you don't try to attack? Your deck must be horrible, then."

"You will regret insulting my cards," Yusei warned, his tone low.

Enjo shrugged it off. "Whatever. First I activate Skull Conductor's effect; by discarding him from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon two monsters with a total attack of 2000 from my hand." He tossed an Effect Monster into his discard slot before slapping two more onto his Disk. "Say hello to my Burning Skull Flames."

There was a bright inferno of heat and light before two identical skulls appeared on his field, surrounded with a burning flame. [ATK 1000/DEF 800 x2]

They glowed, and the next thing Yusei saw were fireballs heading in his direction.

**/ Yusei: 6000(0) \ - - - - - / Enjo: 8000(2) \**

"Whenever a Burning Skull Flame is Special Summoned, my opponent receives one thousand points of damage, and because you lose a Speed Counter for each thousand you lose, I'm coming out on top!" Enjo snickered. He took full advantage of Yusei's lack of Speed to loop around him to the front. "Now, Burning Skull Flame, attack the facedown card!"

Opening its mouth, the skull shot a tongue-like stream of fire toward the facedown. A blue, armoured falcon with its wings wrapped around itself appeared, but quickly smashed into a series of jagged pixels. [ATK 300/DEF 500]

"And yet," the MC commented morosely, continuing his earlier chain of thought, "they do say to use attack as the tactic of defence, and Enjo Mukuro has shown that to us in a spectacular way!"

Yusei took the card off and slipped it into his Graveyard, and the light behind his deck flashed. "Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier's effect activates, allowing me to draw one card from destruction in battle."

Enjo scoffed when he did so. "It doesn't matter what you do, I'll show you my might either way. Burning Skull Flame Two, attack him directly! Skull Fire!"

The serpentine pillar of fire sped towards him this time, and he winced as it enveloped his D-Wheel, watching his Life Points dwindle.

**/ Yusei: 5000(0) \ - - - - - / Enjo: 8000(2) \**

"I'll finish my turn with a facedown," Enjo finished, slapping a card into his Spell/Trap Zone. "Draw all you like, you'll never beat me. Your move!"

**::**

Jack was pissed.

No, he was beyond pissed. He, the King of Turbo Duellists, had briefly lost control of his D-Wheel for a split second. The MC had quickly covered for his sudden acceleration, of course, but for _him_ – for the _King himself _to do something like that –

He frowned, watching the HDU from his seat on the leather sofa. In the beginning he had denied looking at the list of competitors, but to now see Fudo Yusei in person...someone who he thought – no, _knew_ was dead...

Mikage glanced at him and he returned a glare, thankful for something to release his temper on. No; whoever it was duelling there, it wasn't Yusei. Yusei wouldn't have discarded the blue jacket he all-so loved, wouldn't have called himself by the name of Ito, and would _never_ had left behind his Stardust and his Warriors for a deck of Ice...

When Mikage asked him if he wanted something to drink, he just gave her an uncommitted grunt to stop her bothering and watched Yusei's Dust Tornado rip apart Enjo's Trap, Speed Booster. The cup of tea appeared on the table when Enjo retaliated by tributing both of his Burning Skull Heads to summon his Skull Flame in attack. [ATK 2600/DEF 2000]

He narrowed his eyes when the impostor (for that was almost certainly who it was; Yusei would _never_ have done such a thing) activated Defense Draw to protect himself, one of the cards the group had spent two weeks searching for in the worst junkyards of Satellite.

Whoever they were, they would give him the answers he wanted, and they would _pay_ for mimicking the friend he once held closest.

**::**

**/ Yusei: 3700(3) \ - - - - - / Enjo: 3800(3) \**

Yusei studied the cards in his hand, feeling a noticeable change in his speed as his Counters crept back to three, looking over the duel again.

He had three cards in his hand compared to Enjo's single one, but Enjo was slightly ahead in their Life Points. Enjo's signature Supersonic Skull Flame [ATK 2600/DEF 2000/*10] leered at him over his two monsters, General Grunard of the Ice Barrier [ATK 2800/DEF 1000/*8] and Spellbreaker of the Ice Barrier [ATK 1200/DEF 2000/*4]. General Grunard's attack was higher than Supersonic Skull Flame's, but his opponent also had a facedown...

"Heh, try all you like," Enjo laughed, "This little facedown of mine will be what'll win the game for me, so you've got no chance."

_Yes, _he thought. _Now that I have three Speed Counters, I can remove them to activate the Speed Spell – Shrink, letting me halve the attack of a monster on the field. No monster under 5200 attack can beat it now, and because Supersonic Skull Flame's in Attack Mode it'll destroy anything that has the attack to try, leaving the path clear during my next turn._

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," Yusei replied, looking fondly at the card he had just drawn. "Isn't it strange that our world is too warm for ice to be naturally compatible, and yet they are what I've chosen as my cards? In our world, ice cannot exist as it is, much like how the ice caps have melted from the Earth's warming."

Scoffing, Enjo rolled his eyes. "That's right, your deck's weak, and that's all you've shown. Just like them, you'll soon disappear from my path to the King! Just make your move!"

Yusei ignored the interruption, as if it hadn't occurred to begin with. "Though that compatibility holds true for my Ice Barriers, there's one clear difference between my monsters and the ice caps," Looking up, his eyes sharpened. "That difference is evolution, and the ability to change."

He raised the third and newest card in his hand. "Summon! The Tuner monster, Dewdark of the Ice Barrier!"

A crimson-garbed ninja appeared from the summon portal with reversed daggers in hand, his scruffy blonde hair swishing in the wind [ATK 1200/DEF 800/*2].

"Now I tune my level four Spellbreaker of the Ice Barrier to my level two Dewdark of the Ice Barrier," he called, and the two monsters jumped into the air. "Clustering wishes evolving to new. Leaving the past, adapt to change! Synchro Summon! Frame of cold; Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

Enjo's eyes widened. "Synchro...summon..."

The row of stars shone bright for a moment, before revealing a giant serpentine monster made of nothing but ice. Brionac flung its wings out and roared, ice crystals falling from the sky. [ATK 2300/DEF 1400/*6]

"Hah, that's nothing compared to my Supersonic Skull Flame!" Enjo shouted firmly once he saw its stats, and the aforementioned skeletal centaur flung its arms out in a jeering manner.

Yusei chose not to respond, pressing the activation button on his console. "Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier's monster effect allows me to discard any amount of cards in my hand and return the same amount on the field to the owner's hand."

"W-what? I have two cards on the field and in your hand you've got..."

Yusei showed him his last two cards. "I send General Gantara of the Ice Barrier and Speed Spell – Accelerator Draw to the Graveyard, returning your Supersonic Skull Flame and your facedown card."

Gritting his teeth, Enjo jerked his only two cards off the Card Zone as if stung, effectively leaving him wide open for an attack.

"Charge, General Grunard of the Ice Barrier!"

Enjo closed his eyes and ducked his head when the ice-armour clad general shot a torrent of spikes from its hand. His D-Wheel dropped in speed, losing two of his three Counters in one strike.

**/ Yusei: 3700(3) \ - - - - - / Enjo: 1000(1) \**

"Finish this duel, my Dragon of the Ice Barrier," Yusei called. "Brionac, attack him directly! Frost Spiral!"

Brionac screeched and launched a vortex of freezing ice in the direction of Enjo's D-Wheel. As the holograph encased the metal frame into giant, frozen slabs, the decorative flames on the hood seemed to die out and become grey.

**/ Yusei: 3700(3) \ - - - - - / Enjo: 0(0) \**

For a brief moment there was a pause as if everyone had trouble realising that the duel had concluded, but it disappeared and the crowd broke out into a unified roar.

"Annnnnd that's it, folks!" The MC drawled, his face looking absolutely delighted, if not more. "With one swift strike, Ito Yusei has won the duel!"

Yusei gave a false smile to his audience, politely acknowledging their presence and waved his hand. It was one duel down and many more to go but his win would certainly be remembered, which meant that he had succeeded in what he came to do; to improve his credibility despite being a part of the White Dragon.

Vaguely, he noticed an annoyed Jack in the room for him to park in, but ignored it for favour of an incoming transmission. He pressed the button on the D-Wheel's display to take the call as soon as he slid in, completely disregarding his former friend in the process.

"Master Yusei," Silver greeted, the sound from the call being fed directly into the earpiece in his helmet.

"What is it?"

"It's Lord Ito...he collapsed." He hesitated, a strange tone in his voice. "Cardiac arrest. The doctors say he might not make it."

Yusei froze. Immediately, he sped out of the Dome quicker than should have been possible, leaving the shadow of Jack Atlus behind.

Ito...he couldn't have been, he _couldn't have–_

**.**

**::**

**.**

"Rally!" Yusei cried excitedly, running down the slope to the feminine redhead, before spotting whom he was with. "Taka! Blitz! Nerve!"

Rally beamed, stumbling toward the older pre-teen in his too-long robe. "Yusei!"

"Back so soon?" Blitz asked.

"Took you long enough," Nerve commented at the same time, flicking his hand in his current attempt to look cool.

Rally pouted at the arrogant display, his adorable puppy-face carrying the might of an army. "Don't be mean, Nerve! Anyway, it took you four days of practicing from Manjoume Jun's tapes to get that _swoosh_ right, huff!"

Nerve turned pink as the six-year-old parodied the action, overemphasising every gesture. He glared at his companions whom were shaking with mirth, protesting indignantly. "Blitz! _Taka!_"

"S-sorry," Taka apologised, and then his self-control broke, deteriorating into unstoppable laughter. Nerve mock-punched him on the shoulder before starting to laugh with him, giving up on his attempt to stay serious. Soon, Blitz found himself drawn into how contagious the laughing was as well and it wasn't long before both Rally and Yusei joined in.

"Have you seen Kiryu?" Yusei asked once he caught his breath, wiping his mouth to clean off some spittle.

Nerve shook his head. "Why? Since he's so obsessed and all, isn't he normally with you? He's practically latched onto you; I don't see how you and ol' Martha can stand that arrogant—"

Rally punched him.

Looking slightly disappointed, Yusei sighed. "No, I asked him to find you guys. Anyway, I just wanted to give you something."

He held out his hands, revealing a bundle of wires and scrap metal.

"When we found that laser disk with the old Riding Duel on it, you said you wanted to see what a real one was like," he explained, pressing down on his improvised paperclip-switch to complete the circuit, and the telltale holograms appeared in the air. "So I finished this!"

Rally and his self-proclaimed guardians stared at the moving images, eyes and mouths wide from speechless wonder. Taka regained the ability to speak first, his voice still weak.

"Y...you made this for us, Yusei?"

An impossibly large smile grew on Yusei's face as he replied. "Yup! What do you think? Now you guys can finally watch a Riding Duel!"

The silence that followed the statement made Yusei nervous, as neither of the three reacted. Did they not like it? Did they hate him for what he did without telling them first? Did they –

Yusei almost choked when Rally barrelled into his chest, gripping him tightly. "Yusei!" He exclaimed, tears falling from his eyes and leaving dark patches onto the taller boy's shirt, but neither of them noticed. "You're..."

Feeling a pressure on his shoulder, he looked up from the redhead to see Blitz' hand and the evidence of the three older boys trying – and failing – to hide tears clear on their faces.

Satisfied with their happiness, Yusei just closed his eyes and smiled.

**

* * *

**

**Card Specs:**

**Name: Speed Spell - Shrink**

**Details:** Spell - Quick-Play

**Card text: **Activate by removing 3 of your Speed Counters. Select 1 face-up monster on the field. The original ATK of that monster is halved until the end of this turn.

**Appeared in:** World Championship 2009/2010 [from now on, WCS09/WCS10])

**

* * *

A/N: **The last duel I wrote came out horrible (it's deleted), so I'm hoping this one's better. Also, thoughts on the choice of the Ice Barrier archetype? I needed something with Synchros and could win without seeming too far-fetched. Does the Synchro Chant bother you and/or should I just cut it out? If anyone's interested in the full duel, just drop a line and I'll put it up somewhere. [Yeah, using Shrink is horrible, I know.]

As you've probably noticed, I've brought Rally (and co) and Kiryu forward a bit, so Yusei still knows them. For GX dub-watchers, Manjoume Jun is Chazz.

Until next time,  
- Nex

[5D's 123: Brave in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses :D (and beside him, Harald's in a suit. How does the guy _jump_ in that thing?). 124: Dragan and his...spiky hat. Also honestly, I thought the facedown was Magic Cylinder and Garm doubled effect damage... 125: I hear that everyone goes and awes at Scar-Red Nova, but poor Shooting Star got no such awing. Apparently, fans like Thud more ;)]


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Quick thanks to KaliAnn, FanficFemale, Kirei Ryuusei and . NyghthawK . for taking the time to leave opinions. It's great to hear feedback, because then I know what I'm doing alright and what I need to fix.

**::**

**White Night  
**_by Firefly Nexus_

**Chapter Three**

**::**

Speeding through the streets of Neo Domino, the wind battered relentlessly at his helmet. Yusei paid no attention to how close he was to breaking the speed limit, with only one thought on his mind at the time. He had to get to the White Carnation Medical Centre.

He called a long-memorized number just as he passed a sign by the Public Security Maintenance Bureau advising against calling whilst driving, barely noticing the irony of his action. Two seconds later his tall bodyguard appeared onscreen.

Miyamura bowed. "Sir?"

"You've heard the news?" Yusei asked. He absently swerved around a truck, eyes fixed to the screen.

He got a nod in response, Miyamura silently looking away. "We were all aware about Lord Ito's heart problems, but none of our members could have anticipated this happening at a worse time."

And it couldn't. The Black Soldiers and the Emissaries of Darkness, the other two members of the Yakuza's great Three were already shifting in anticipation in response to KaibaCorp's new tourney. It wasn't uncommon for them to increase their power by recruiting new members and expanding their assets, often taking control of already established duel gangs and sometimes other families.

If word got out that the most powerful of them all was with no leader, they stood no chance in this war for power.

"Remain on standby," he ordered, his bodyguard already looking to protest. "I will visit the Carnation on my own."

"But –"

"No exceptions. But, calm yourself. I can look after myself for an hour – I'm always armed."

And with that, he disconnected the link as he spotted the highway's exit ahead. Darkening the tint setting on his visor, Yusei gave a grim smile as he turned off.

Ito Ryota, boss of the White Dragon, was waiting for him.

**::**

Stationed in the middle of their territory, the White Carnation belonged to the handful of buildings completely owned and run by the White Dragon. With some of the best medical professionals and facilities at their call, the private hospital was often responsible for rehabilitating the brothers who were lucky enough to continue their service and those looking for the finest treatment.

Not bothering to find a proper place to park Yusei simply left his D-Wheel in the first location he found, knowing the 'reserved' sign would be enough to save him from facing any particular wrath. Stepping across the tiled pavement and into the building, he immediately headed for the front desk. Behind it, the secretary smiled.

"Good afternoon, Master Yusei," he greeted. "Lord Ito can be found in Room A01 by taking the elevator on your left."

Thanking him, Yusei took the elevator as instructed and found himself in a corridor, walls and floor tiled a light shade of cream, the only colour coming from the occasional painting on the side. This section of the medical centre was for the rooms that were the private-of-the-private, and nobody passed through it without good reason.

He found 'A01' neatly printed beside the first door to his left, coming to a stop. Hesitantly, he rapped it thrice in quick succession.

Silver was the one to open the door, his combed-back hair showing uncharacteristic amounts of disarray.

"How is he?" Yusei asked.

The butler bowed his head, trained well enough not to give any noticeable reaction. "Lord Ito is stable."

Yusei glanced past him and toward the corner that bent toward the main area, as if he could see past it. "That's good. Is this related to the last attack six years ago?"

"It's still uncertain, but the doctors believe it's related to the medication that was prescribed to him as a result. Given enough time, the alpha blockers that were supposed to relax the blood vessels could actually increase the risk of heart failure instead of preventing it." Silver smoothed out his tailcoat and stood a little bit straighter, looking closer to his usual self. "Lord Ito has requested your presence. It would not do to keep him waiting."

Nodding his head, Yusei ducked around the door and headed for the corner. As soon as he turned it, it was clear the room was located beneath the glass half-dome on the side of the hospital. Once his eyes adjusted to the sudden light he noticed that the room was luxurious yet sparsely furnished in the standard cream and purple, with minimalistic decorations and a pleasant floral aroma in the air.

He spotted Ito in a plush leather seat to one side of the massive room, a thick curtain that divided the room sectioning his area off. Despite being away from his bed, the soft beeping from the status machine on the wall meant the _oyabun_ was still constantly being monitored. Considering how pale he looked the wireless updates on the screen were almost a relief.

"Yusei," Ito called, not moving. "I trust you are well?"

As he turned his head away from the machine Yusei tried to hide his surprise, and although the _oyabun_ likely noticed it went without comment. "Yes, father. But that's something I should be asking you; I heard from Silver that the medication was responsible."

Ito shook his head, giving a small wince. "There's no need to concern yourself with that, Yusei. No, the only thing that is important at the moment is the White Dragon's future."

A strange feeling of foreboding fell upon him, and he turned. "Your successor. Who is it?"

"That would be you."

Yusei's mind blanked out as the statement registered in his mind. It was him; _he_ was the one chosen to inherit the title as the boss of the White Dragon. Ito chose him opposed to someone else who was older and wiser, and had been in the family longer than he had.

"N-no," he finally murmured, still blinking in shock. "You... No; why? I've only been a part of this for eight years of my life; it's not right for an outsider to take a position like that. Give it to someone who deserves it more than I do."

Rather than insist, Ito simply looked at him with kind eyes. "You and I both know that the other world is approaching me despite the attempts that have been made to prevent it. I can still feel the debt passed onto me from my grandfather and even though I can never fully pay it away, the extra time the doctors gave me has been long enough to come close.

"You...you remind me of myself, my son."

Ito inched forward to retrieve some papers, passing them across. Yusei automatically accepted them and glanced over the top. "These are from the _oyabun_ of the Black Soldiers."

"Indeed. Shimoda has requested an alliance, and is prepared to meet at any time. Whereas normally I would visit for negotiations I have been advised against leaving the Carnation for two more weeks."

"That's too long," Yusei completed, knowing where the conversation headed. "The Emissaries are growing quickly, and an alliance is the only thing we can do right now to prevent losing any more territory."

Ito nodded, a strained smile on his face. "Exactly. That is why you must attend negotiations in my place with my position of power. Will you do it and succeed me, Yusei?"

"That..." He couldn't. He couldn't accept; the position was too important. It was too overwhelming, and as an outsider he wasn't even fit for it in the first place. He couldn't...

_Yet, _a small part of him whispered, _you have no choice. If you don't accept, the White Dragon will suffer. They have many shares in legal enterprises and all the people who work for them are actually people who have been nothing but honest their entire lives._

That—that was true, he had to acknowledge. However, he still had a choice. He could decline the position and avoid being immersed in the Yakuza world any longer. Where were his morals – he had them once, didn't he? Before Jack went and left him and Martha died...

The small part didn't give up, taking advantage of his hesitation. _You're the only person that Ito has trained for this; decline and there is no doubt of the Dragon's downfall. Adapt, Yusei. Adapt. You have done so since your time in the Satellite, so this situation is no different._

He closed his eyes. Whatever part of him it was, it was right. For him at the time, accepting gave him the most options for whatever he chose to do in the future.

_For understanding a situation and adapting to it was the only way to evolve and properly live life._

"Lord Ito," he began, but Ito looked at him with firm, painful eyes.

Yusei tried again.

"Father, I...I will accept. I will take the position as the fourth-generation leader of the White Dragon."

"Thank you, Yusei," Ito whispered. "I know you will do what is right, and rule well."

Those words preceded the world's collapse.

Red lights flashed. An alarm wailed. Footsteps stormed down the hallway.

_Ito fell._

Yusei was roughly pushed aside when several doctors and nurses rushed towards the former _oyabun_. Why hadn't he noticed that the signs of pain he showed were more serious than had been let on? Yusei had ignored them, thinking that they were only the after-effects of his first attack; Ito hadn't mentioned anything, so...

He didn't notice when or how he moved, but once he came to his senses he saw himself in the lobby and Silver standing beside him. Raising the papers crushed during the commotion, he quickly skimmed over what the _oyabun_ of the Black Soldiers had to say.

Five minutes later saw him out of the hospital, his D-Wheel speeding away once more.

**::**

Turning off the highway once more, Yusei nodded to himself, convicting his decision.

Accepting the position created several possibilities for he and his future. One option was to run the family the way Ito had done, spreading and ever-growing to prevent collapse.

His other option was to destroy the White Dragon.

Though it seemed simple, the second option was as hard to achieve as it was appealing. Certainly, it would be easy for him to continuously make decisions and propose things that could quickly leave a large business in ruin, but that option went against everything he lived for. The White Dragon would be left defenceless without a sturdy framework and the people that worked for it would suffer.

If he were to do that and the Emissaries' _oyabun_ was as ruthless as rumoured to be, then what remained of the White Dragon would be added to their forces. With the Black Soldiers as the weakest of the Three, nothing stood in the way of the Emissaries' total domination of Neo Domino.

There was, of course, another sub-option in destroying the White Dragon. That was to slowly withdraw the company into legit dealings, to increase their legit rate from thirty-eight percent to a hundred. This would be the most beneficial option, as it would ensure that their honest workers were still as well off as they had been before.

However, it still had a major flaw. Without a body as powerful as they were in the underworld to keep order, the Emissaries would also be able to grow. If they were going to remain perfectly legal, there would end up being little to nothing they could do to prevent the Emissaries spreading. From then it would only be a matter of time before the Dragon belonged under their control.

If he wanted to leave the Yakuza behind him forever, he would have to destroy both of the largest underworld bodies before he could – and discreetly, to avoid the notice of those who weren't a fan of his ideals.

With the resolution firm in his mind, he waited on the corner of the street for Miyamura to arrive. As if his thoughts were commands, seconds later a dark, heavily-armoured D-Wheel drove up beside him and the two of them continued on their way.

"Master Yusei," Miyamura began, "is it true that Lord Ito has passed to the next world?"

Yusei didn't respond, his silence answer enough.

It only proved how strong his bodyguard and Ito's closest comrade could be when Miyamura didn't react, even when he knew that the former _oyabun_ was well and truly dead. "Nevertheless, I shall continue to serve you as your guard, sir, unless I am reassigned to another position."

"Thank you," Yusei stated simply, ending the conversation as they neared their destination.

The harbour stood as ferociously beautiful as it could only be on one of its worst days, giant waves rising from dark seas in the distance and winds carrying plenty of salt spray to the shore. They detached their Duel Disks just as they parked their D-Wheels on the wharf, barely noticing the horrible weather that day chose to bring.

Standing in the middle of the pier, the _oyabun _of the Black Soldiers shook hands with his counterpart when he approached, giving a small bow. "Ah, you must be Ito Yusei. Am I right to believe that you're now in charge of the Dragon?"

Yusei nodded, and the other shuffled them towards a flimsy-looking table, the cheap kind that low-budget restaurants sometimes used. The other's face was apologetic at what he had to offer as Miyamura gave the all-clear in his explosives checks, but Yusei took the seat regardless. Despite the uncomfortable plastic seat, the winds that blew past the location ensured that few people could hear their conversation.

"I believe some congratulations are in order, but I also deeply regret Ito's death. I am Shimoda Nao," he greeted, bowing again. "I'm deeply sorry about the lack of luxuries in this area, but I fear there may be spies."

"Spies?"

Shimoda nodded. "Are you aware of the hostility between the Emissaries of Darkness and the Black Soldiers, and how we've lost our power?"

"Not completely," Yusei replied. "I just know that the former _oyabun_ had died without an heir by blood, and the Emissaries attempted to take your territory but couldn't."

"That's partially correct. What really happened was that the Emissaries tricked him before killing him and his most elite guards."

"Then it would have been easy for them to overtake you, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, but the advisors quickly found me to take the title."

Yusei looked at Shimoda, noting the eyes that belonged to a dreamer, haphazardly-cut bangs failing to hide them from view. He looked out of place in his black suit and seemed far more suited across a canvas, with more paint ending up on his elbows than on his apron. "You don't seem to be the type."

Shimoda scratched his cheek and glanced away. "Honestly, I think I'm only chosen because I'm the son of the old _oyabun_'s second cousin, the only one left in this generation that still holds the Shimoda name. His advisors have been helping me rule."

"That doesn't explain how you've avoided being overtaken." Yusei countered. "The Emissaries have succeeded with many other gangs and not with yours."

"I have Lord Ito and his kindness to thank for that. Actually, he was the one who suggested the alliance to me first, but he was old and I was worried about who would succeed him and if they'd double-cross me to get my power –" Shimoda quickly fell into a bow as he remembered who he was talking to. "– not that I meant any disrespect, of course..."

Yusei turned away. "And I suppose this is why you'd like the alliance?"

"A-ah, yes. But it's not just that, Master Yusei – I have reason to believe I'm at threat, because even though I have advisors helping me I think they just want me to have a son and then eliminate me. I'm worried, because I've already got an adopted one that's always in danger already, and he doesn't need the loss of a father to him. I can't just resign and leave the Black Soliders alone, because all the members are depending on me either. A-and, I know you'll do well, because I saw your performance today at the Fortune Cup when the King seemed to know you –"

Cutting himself off when Yusei flinched, Shimoda looked down at his feet. After a long pause in which he tried to calm himself down, Yusei finally spoke again.

"What sort of alliance did you have in mind?"

"Definitely not a corporate alliance; it won't give my men the protection they'll need from the White Dragon. A-Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of adding my people to yours, but you'll be the one to rule."

Yusei's eyes narrowed and he leant back in the cheap plastic chair. "You're not seeking an alliance then, but inviting us to a takeover."

Shimoda's bodyguard jumped at the statement and stared at his boss as if he were insane. "Lord Nao, are you sincere about joining the two families? The Black Soldiers are the oldest of the Three, to join would be to discard the family name."

Shaking his head, Shimoda looked out to the sea. "Please, Jurou, forgive me. I know the Izumis have served for almost as long as the Black Soldiers' creation, so this is hard to accept. You and I both know that the Emissaries are after our land and power, and I can't leave our resources with the person who killed my uncle."

"Lord Nao, isn't there another way—"

"No!" Shimoda snapped. "There _is_ no other way. Master Yusei will protect us and ensure that we are all safe—"

"That's foolish." Yusei slammed his hands on the table, glaring to the person on the other side. Any thoughts of a beneficial alliance were gone, fury and annoyance remaining. "You're not helping anyone by trying to run away like this, Shimoda." It would be impossible to ensure all of the White Dragon's men living honest and secure lives, and only adding to his forces would only increase the number of those who couldn't. "This will do nothing but draw the Emissaries to our attention sooner than we are prepared. If this is the only reason you would like the alliance, then I'll have to decline. Miyamura, we're leaving."

Miyamura bowed. "Yes, Master Yusei."

"Wait!" Yusei glanced back to see Shimoda reaching towards him. "I-If you won't accept an alliance, can you at least help guide me? Even though you're the head of the White Dragon, Lord Ito was family to me, and I trust you far more than the Emissaries. A-At least, can I ask for advice and guidance?"

_Lord Ito was family to me, and I trust you..._

Yusei closed his eyes, trying to ignore the last vestiges of guilt clawing at his mind. Godwin was right; he didn't possess the mindset that was necessary to become a successful boss, but no matter how much he wanted to leave Shimoda to fend for himself he knew that the Emissaries would quickly and easily overcome their forces and only grow stronger.

"Very well." The look on the other _oyabun_'s face only made him hate himself more for caving in. He turned away so Shimoda could not see his expression, mind automatically working in overdrive. "First, you can lie low. Reject every proposition your advisors say."

"What if they persist?"

"Tell them that you're considering it, and send the details to me along with a report every two weeks on the condition of the Black Soldiers. I'll analyse the situation and make a decision for you."

Neglecting to mention that he would be trying to benefit his own goals rather than to further each of their families in the underworld, he couldn't stop the guilt when Shimoda smiled, bowed and thanked him over and over again. Instead, Yusei just gave a small nod before both he and his guard returned to Tops.

He had the semi-final qualifier of the Fortune Cup to prepare for, after all.

**.**

**::**

**.**

Thump. Scuffling. Thump.

Screech.

Yusei looked up from his latest project and wandered to his window to look for the source of the noise, but the open window and telltale blonde crown gave him all the answers he needed. In all his usual fashion, Jack didn't even attempt to be discreet when he threw down a rope ladder before descending on his own.

With a thud that Yusei even noticed two storeys up, Jack landed on the dirt-covered ground, dusting his jacket off before turning the corner and out of sight.

Intrigued, Yusei opened his own window and descended the path of handholds and footholds only he could see with the mastered grace of a person completely used to doing so. Jack's usual behaviour had him rather not walk out the front door; Yusei used his path in pursuit because the main entrance was too far away.

It wasn't long before he followed the faint footsteps left behind in the dirt and clambered down the slope, catching up to his target.

"Jack!"

Jack stopped but didn't turn around to acknowledge his presence.

"Where are you going?" Yusei prompted, leaning a hand on the other's shoulder. Instead of tolerating the gesture, Jack jerked away and he soon found himself thrown against the rough rubble. "Why are you acting like this, Jack?"

Spinning around and staring at him in the eyes, Jack's own blazed. "_Why?_ You and your self-righteous actions, and you ask me _why_?"

"I-I don't understa—"

"I can see what you're doing, _Yusei_. Every time I ask you to duel, you duel with me; every time Kiryu wants to be around you, you let him; every time Crow wants your help, you give it to him; and every time anyone else wants to even _talk_ you talk to them as well."

Yusei tried to push himself off the ground but winced as he pressed against some broken glass. "What are you getting at?"

"You never cared about us, did you? You just wanted to show how good you were by being everywhere at once."

"That's not true – I just wanted to help—"

Jack scoffed. "Help, _keh_. I suppose you wanted to _help_ as well when you got yourself that dragon from them ex-City punks, didn't you? And when you duelled with me a week ago and won using that dragon, were you trying to _help_ yourself by showing how high and mighty you were compared to us poor, poor, people?"

"That's not it," Yusei replied. He stood up again and looked Jack in the eye, a feat helped by the uneven ground they were standing on. "You've always loved duelling and anyone can see that, but you're unhappy because there's no one to give you a real challenge. I duel you because I can see that spark in your eyes, because it cheers you up! I want to give you that challenge to make you happy—"

"Liar."

Yusei jerked back as if the words were a blow, one that he could dodge. He realized too late it was probably the worst thing he could have done when Jack's fight-trained eyes instantly flashed to his torso, and not a moment later he found himself held up by his collar, his flinch misinterpreted as a punch.

"You know," Jack murmured, "You're not the only one with a dragon."

Reaching into his pocket, he brought out a telltale white card. Atop it, a fearsome red dragon sat with its mouth fixed in a still, silent roar.

Yusei tried to speak, but found the little room left in his throat clogged when his emotions overflowed. "Synchro..."

"Exactly like your Stardust, right? Hmph – no matter what you think, you're not _chosen_. If you were chosen, you would've been living it up in Neo Domino instead of with us, wouldn't you?"

Yusei felt uneasy at the implication in Jack's words, but gasped when the grip loosened slightly.

"That's where I'm going, Yusei. I'm going to the City and I'm going to make it to the top, and you can't stop me."

"What about our friends?" Yusei demanded. "If you're going, then I understand, but...what about Martha and Crow and Kiryu and Rally?"

"Nothing. Leaving won't change anything."

"It will! They'll be so upset, Jack – why can't you see it?"

Jack's grip tightened, raising Yusei off the floor by a few centimetres. "Do you think I _care_?"

Whatever struggle Yusei had left in him leeched away, and he became almost lifeless. "Jack..."

"Tonight," he murmured, looking to the moon still faintly visible beside the sun. "Today there is a ship leaving for the City, and it's also the day of the strike. Do you know what this means?"

Yusei remained silent.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, Yusei. There won't be any guards because of the strike, and the cargo boxes will be empty. I'm not going to let something as trivial as _friends_ leave me behind."

If Jack expected another outburst, he was disappointed. Rather, Yusei closed his eyes and mulled things over before bowing his head. "I understand. Do what you want, but the consequences are all yours."

"That's all I've asked for."

When Jack let him down, Yusei couldn't help but ask a question he needed to know. "Jack...what will you do when you get to Neo Domino?"

"Is that such a hard question?" He raised a fist that symbolized his ambition and looked to the horizon, his Red Dragon Archfiend still in one hand. "I'm going to be the King."

Yusei gave a lopsided grin and bumped his fist against the other's. "Yeah, you'll do great."

Jack nodded, and then left.

Yusei spent a while looking down the path he left by but eventually sighed and turned back, kicking his shoes against the ground on his way home. If Jack had it set in his mind that he would go to Neo Domino, nothing could stop him. Besides, the plasma television he was working on had a few plugs loose...

He froze.

_No, no, no, no, no!_

Fire. A giant blazing fire now remained where Martha's house once stood, proud and surprisingly grand. As soon as he stepped forward he could already feel the heat licking his skin, and being forced down from air so heavy and smoky he felt nauseous standing up.

"Yusei!"

He looked around to see Arakawa from the recycling plant run up to him and pull him back.

"Mister...Arakawa? What..."

"Yusei, are you all right?"

Yusei nodded. "Yes, but..."

"Come," Arakawa gestured, giving a small smile. "I've been constructing a house over near the docks. There's no point staying, so let's go there."

Vehemently shaking his head, Yusei tried to approach the house again but the heavy hand on his shoulder prevented him from doing so. "What...what about the others?"

Arakawa looked away, leaving Yusei to fear the worst.

"I'm sorry, but...they're dead, Yusei. I'm so, _so_ sorry."

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter's mainly plot and a large chunk of it done and dusted, so we'll be able to start moving on again. We've now found out about a large section of Jack and Yusei's past, and I can tell you guys that the flashback sections end in the conclusion of the Fortune Cup, so there're about three more chapters to go!

For those interested, Ito was talking about the _Gimu_ and the _Anoyo_. Also, there'll probably be a delay in the next update because I'm going to be trying NaNoWriMo this year with some original fiction – if anyone wants to add me, I'm under _reverseofnexus_.

- Nex

[5D's 126: Crow's expression. Blackfeather's effect was changed, though...oh, and tiaras? 127: The 'I'm about to draw a Speed Spell' thing is getting old. And the hippies return ;] 128: Yusei and Harald's opening moves killed me. Other than that, Crimson Dragon's stacking decks with our favourite tuner again..._during global tournaments_. And the crowd goes wild...or not at all.]


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Seems there was a bit of confusion regarding the "past" sections. I'm using different line breaks, so if there's a long line break it's something that happened pre-chapter one – blocks of italicized text or writing "flashback" is something I find annoying. These will eventually come together to the point chapter one was at when this arc ends, and then we'll move on.

A quick thanks to FanficFemale, KaliAnn, Kirei Ryuusei, CheshireAlice and Chelseaj500 for reviewing, even though I was gone. (Just recovered a proper internet connection as we've switched providers, so apologies for not replying.)

**::**

**White Night  
**_by Firefly Nexus_

**Chapter Four**

**::**

Bommer drew a card.

**/ Bommer: 7500(3) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 8000(3) \**

"I summon Spell Reactor-RE," he called, and the green plane zoomed out from a summon portal before settling beside its commander [ATK 1200/DEF 900]. "Now that all three of my Reactors are on the field, Summon Reactor-SK's effect activates! By sending Trap Reactor-Y FI, Spell Reactor-RE and Summon Reactor-SK to the grave, I can bring forth my greatest beast!"

As he took the cards off his console and slipped them in the graveyard, an ominous rumbling sounded around the stadium.

The MC leant dangerously forward on his podium. "Whoa-whoa-_whoa!_ Could it finally be coming, Bommer's key card?"

Bommer held out his right arm, gesturing to the sky. "Now! Summon, Flying Fortress SKY FIRE!"

The rumbling became fiercer and louder, before a giant, olden fighter plane broke the clouds and flew a circuit over the track as it descended. As it came to a stop beside Bommer's outstretched hand, it rearranged itself into a humanoid figure [ATK 3000/DEF 2500].

"Now!" Bommer cried, pointing a finger in his opponent's direction. "Flying Fortress SKY FIRE, attack Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier!"

As SKY FIRE dived, the dark-skinned practitioner valiantly raised his staff in defence. However, the difference between the two monsters' attacks soon made itself clear when the Cyromancer faltered under the onslaught of bullets and dissolved into dust.

Yusei took the card and slipped it into his Graveyard. He wasn't too concerned about his loss – his deck was rearranged against the Flying Fortress after watching Bommer's first duel. "I activate the trap card, Defense Draw. This means all Battle Damage dealt to me becomes zero, and I draw one card."

**/ Bommer: 7500(3) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 8000(3) \**

Adding the card to his hand, he saw Bommer wave his hand to signal the end of his turn. Drawing another card for the start of his own turn, he smiled.

The pieces had fallen into place, and Bommer would witness the true fear his Ice Barriers could bring forth.

**::**

Jack didn't move, simply watching the HDU with interested eyes. In the very turn that Bommer called out his Flying Fortress, Yusei had countered it and prevented it from landing damage. Furthermore, even though his monster had been destroyed, the card he drew in exchange could only help him as his Ice Barrier synchro possessed a discard cost for its powerful effect.

Without a doubt, he—_the imposter_ possessed analytical skills comparable to the Yusei who was definitely, _definitely_ deceased.

Jack smiled knowingly when the Yusei set a card to be destroyed in order to get around the Flying Fortress' effect, before summoning two monsters at once. Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier [ATK 1300/DEF 0/*2] and Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier [ATK 100/DEF 1600] were monsters with strong locking potential but required another Ice Barrier on the field to activate, which normally took two turns to bring out. But since he summoned both in the same turn and Bommer had already used his Flying Fortress' effect already, Yusei had sealed the attacking ability of level four or higher monsters and prevented Ice Barrier monsters from being targeted by his opponent's effect monsters, rendering the destruction effect of SKY FIRE useless.

The Yusei-impostor certainly knew how to tap into a side deck, an obvious move seeing as how Bommer used his key card in his first duel.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jeager approached Godwin and murmured amongst themselves. Jack turned to see a screen appear, the crazy brown-haired scientist in it moaning like there was no tomorrow. They talked for a few moments, the scientist just shaking his head and holding up some kind of meter.

Jack turned back to the HDU, just ignoring them and their antics – he had a duel to watch, so he would give it his full attention.

**::**

Bommer growled at the three monsters on his opponent's side of the field, drawing a card.

**/ Bommer: 6300(6) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 7200(7) \**

Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier, Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier and Dewdark of the Ice Barrier. Three monsters which respectively prevented level four or higher monsters to attack, disabled his Flying Fortress's ability to destroy Ice Barrier monsters and allowed their controller to attack directly, so long as all the monsters on their field were level two or lower.

There would be no way for him to win, considering the situation.

...with his usual strategy, at least. Even though that fool Godwin had backstabbed him and destroyed their agreement, there was a reason why _he_ had been chosen as one of Yliaster's duelists, and not someone else. His skills were faultless, and he would show the bastard just why it wasn't smart to mess with him.

Bommer glanced at the field again, specifically at the facedown spell/trap on Yusei's side, wondering if it was something that could negate a summon. A quick string of mental calculations and probabilities later, he continued his play.

"I summon the tuner monster, Black Salvo!" A huge black sphere materialized from the summon portal, a cartoon smirk plastered upon the surface [ATK 100/DEF 1100/*3]. "I activate Black Salvo's special ability, allowing me to Special Summon a level four DARK Machine from my Graveyard in face-up defence position! Return to me, Trap Reactor-Y FI!"

Black Salvo opened its mouth, allowing a humanoid olive-green jet to fly out from the simulated hatch. The Trap Reactor stopped beside the gargantuan D-Wheel, huddling into itself and gaining the blue tint associated with defence-position monsters [ATK 800/DEF 1800/*4].

The MC said something again, but Bommer ignored his useless blathering. Instead his attention was focused on Yusei, who simply looked at him with the same almost-bored expression on his face, unchanged.

"Synchro summon," Yusei answered, as if he were about to ask a question. "Seven stars."

Bommer tried not to react to the jibe, finally having all the materials he needed to get around his opponent's block. "I tune my Trap Reactor-Y FI with my Black Salvo! Cascading winds and silent pain; come forth, _Dark Strike Fighter!_"

A flash of level stars and green tuning rings later and another humanoid machine showed its presence, smaller than Flying Fortress SKY FIRE and coloured with dark oranges and blues [ATK 2600/DEF 1800/*7].

"I activate my Trap Card, Metal Reflect Slime!" Bommer smiled. "This isn't a normal trap, because after this card is activated it special summons itself in my Monster Zone! From then, it's considered as both a trap and a monster."

The pink trap card folded in on itself before appearing horizontally a few spaces in front. From the card art, a spiked, metallic club rose and glistened menacingly [ATK 0/DEF 3000/*10].

Suddenly, the club disappeared and Yusei winced when his Life Points went down.

**/ Bommer: 6300(6) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 5200(5) \**

"Oh! Ito Yusei just took two thousand damage directly to his Life!" The MC shouted. "What just happened, but more importantly: _does this mean his lock has been destroyed?_"

Bommer gestured to his Synchro. "Dark Strike Fighter's effect allows me to tribute one monster on my side of the field and inflict damage directly equal to its Level multiplied by two hundred points."

"And because your Metal Reflect Slime is treated as a Level ten monster, I took two thousand damage," completed Yusei so casually it grated on his nerves.

"That's not all! Dark Strike Fighter's effect doesn't specify how many times it can be used per turn, so I activate my second copy of Metal Reflect Slime to deal another two thousand points of damage directly to your Life Points!"

He noted the brief look of pain that flickered across Yusei's face with a satisfied hum. The boy's inability to be fazed by anything annoyed him to no end and reminded him of Godwin, and he didn't even want to think about that lying, cheating _sonnova—_

**/ Bommer: 6300(6) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 3200(3) \**

Bommer frowned. Dark Strike Fighter's effect also didn't specify that it had to tribute a monster other than itself. However, even if he did tribute both his Fighter and his beloved Fortress he would only deal three thousand damage. Yusei would have two hundred Life Points remaining and he would be left with an open field, just waiting to be taken down.

He grit his teeth and reminded himself once more that when the duel was all over the world would know the injustice dealt to his people. And to do that, he had to defeat his opponent – he just needed one more Monster.

"I end my turn!"

**::**

**/ Bommer: 4300(8) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 3200(7) \**

Yusei had a bad feeling when Bommer suddenly smiled. The older man miraculously hadn't managed to summon anything ever since he dealt that painful four thousand damage a few turns ago, and he'd luckily been able to destroy Chariot Pile before it could inflict him any damage other than destroying his Dewdark. Hopefully this duel would teach the man not to have such an imbalanced combination of monster cards in his deck, and to increase the number he did.

The new card Bommer drew, though, only promised trouble.

"I remove six Speed Counters to activate Speed Spell – Wheelie Breaker! This card destroys all face-up monsters on your side of the field. Feel the pain, Yusei!"

He would – Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier only worked by preventing his monsters from being targeted by the effects of Bommer's monsters, and said nothing about Spell or Trap cards.

Of course, Yusei never said anything about Spell or Trap cards either.

"Not quite – I activate my Trap, Destruction Jammer! By sending a card from my hand to the Graveyard I can negate the effect of a card that would destroy one or more monsters on my side of the field."

Bommer growled as an image of the Treeborn Frog he just discarded merged with the Speed Spell, before both broke apart and faded away.

"End turn," he gritted, allowing Yusei to draw a card.

**/ Bommer: 4300(3) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 3200(8) \**

The cards he needed were in place. Now it was his turn to smile.

"During my Standby Phase, if Treeborn Frog is in my Graveyard and there are no Spell or Trap cards on my side of the field then I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard."

The golden, blue-spotted frog jumped out from the summon portal before landing aside the two Ice Barriers on his field [ATK 100/DEF 100]. Yusei looked challengingly toward Bommer, glancing surreptitiously to the rest of the cards in his hand. Would the man choose to activate SKY FIRE's effect now in one of the earliest parts of his turn and take his chances later, or not?

Bommer obviously decided against it with a grimace, and Yusei had predicted his line of reasoning. Why activate the one-time only destruction effect to kill a measly level one monster, a monster that could revive itself next turn anyway?

Perfect.

"I tribute my Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier to summon Shark Cruiser." The Secret Guard glowed before folding in on itself and creating a portal, out flying a devilish cartoon ship shaped like the head of a shark [ATK 1800/DEF 2200/*5].

"Not so fast!" Bommer shouted. "Since you summoned a monster, my Flying Fortress's effect activates, destroying that monster and inflicting eight hundred points of damage! Think of this as a reminder of how you stupidly sacrificed the only monster protecting your Ice Barriers from SKY FIRE's effect, and I hope you regret it. Go, Response Cannon!"

Flying Fortress SKY FIRE flew into the air and disappeared from view, and soon tens of bombs were falling over his D-Wheel. He barely winced when his Life went down, and his Shark Cruiser looked worse for wear.

**/ Bommer: 4300(3) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 2400(8) \**

"I think you're the one that's going to regret something, Bommer." Yusei said. "You've activated my Shark Cruiser's effect. If it's destroyed by a card effect, it allows me to summon two Level four or lower monsters from my Deck. Come forth, Samurai of the Ice Barrier and Numbing Grub in the Ice Barrier!"

Almost in a last-ditch attempt at avoiding the missiles, Shark Cruiser opened its mouth and whirred. A warrior covered in frosty blue plate armour [ATK 1800/DEF 1500] and a grossly enlarged white-green grub [ATK 1300/DEF 1800] emerged from within, moments before it shattered.

Bommer grit his teeth.

"I tune my level four Numbing Grub of the Ice Barrier and my level one Treeborn Frog to the level two Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier! Clustering winds shadowing true sight. Swaying one, bound to pain. Break free; Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

Rather than soar from a flurry of crystals as Brionac had done before, the very ground shook as a bulky deep-blue beast appeared, enswathed in ice. The armoured rows of white spikes across its back chilled the very air and it glowed with an inner red flame [ATK 2500/DEF 1700/*7].

If Bommer hadn't been regretting the bad timing on SKY FIRE's activation, he definitely was now.

"I activate Gungnir's effect, allowing me to send two cards from my hand to the Graveyard and destroy the same amount of cards from my opponent's side of the field. I choose your Flying Fortress and your Strike Fighter! Shred them, Gungnir!"

Gungnir roared a deep and rumbling roar, flinging its wings out and forming torrents of frozen missiles. The two machines were no match, being forced backwards before they broke apart and disappeared.

"End this, Samurai of the Ice Barrier and Gungnir, Dragon of the Ice Barrier! _Arctic Saber!_"

And two twin bolts of frigid white light later, the gargantuan D-Wheel slowed and skidded as it smoked, proclaiming his loss.

**/ Bommer: 0(0) \ - - - - - / Yusei: 2400(8) \**

Without warning, one of its axels buckled in on itself and it flipped, throwing Bommer out and onto the tracks. Yusei didn't stop a moment to blink. Instantly, he restarted his engine and sped across the track toward his opponent.

When he reached him, he extended a hand. "That was a good duel, Bommer. Are you alright?"

"Not good enough," the man growled. "I should have won. I _had_ to have won!"

"Why do you say that?"

He took his hand out from his pocket with a remote in his grip, slamming his finger down onto the button. As a result, new footage of a dark valley at night replaced the winner icons on the spheres around the stadium. It was surprising that the man had been able to overwrite the previous commands, but before his thoughts got any further Bommer spoke again.

"That is my village," he said, voice amplified. Evidently, he'd tapped into the mic as well. "When Godwin arrived, that place became somewhere that _was_ my village."

Try as he could to avert his eyes, Yusei found himself transfixed to the low-quality video being displayed. The village seemed to be a nice and peaceful place for anyone to enjoy, far enough from civilization to see stars in the night sky and a round, perfect moon beside them.

And then, an explosion of giant red light ripped the scene into shreds.

"In his experiments to call forth the Crimson Dragon, all the villagers went missing. My brother and sister were amongst them." Bommer staggered up, fuelled by nothing but pure determination. "It was my village! My hometown! He took their lives, so I'll settle things with him by my own hand!"

Yusei jumped out in front of him when he made for his D-Wheel, obviously blinded by rage and unaware of its broken state. He held up his arm. "I won't let you."

"You—!" Bommer growled. "Are you siding with him, Ito?"

"Don't use violence to settle things. Vengeance isn't what you're looking for."

"Get _out of my way_, or you'll suffer the same fate as he will! As _my people_ did!"

"You don't want this." He stated again, not moving. "Vengeance is not worth the consequences."

"Of course they are! My brother and sister are worth _everything_ to me!"

And then Bommer lunged.

Yusei didn't even hesitate. He raised both of his arms and sidestepped, parrying the grab before easily twisting and redirecting Bommer's momentum so that the man fell to the ground. The movements were automatic to his five years of _aikido_ training.

"Once you decide to use force to achieve your goals, you just end up as bad as him," Yusei told him, just as Security arrived and made the arrest. "You still have a long life left, Bommer. Live because of your family, not for them."

Vaguely he noticed Miyamura slipping in with the guards under disguise to make sure he was alright. He ignored it, the only thing on his mind being a long talk scheduled with the Director and trying to understand Bommer's last words to him as he was taken away.

"_Don't hand Godwin the Crimson Dragon."_

**.**

**::**

**.**

'The Docks' was an area that could have easily been described as being on the other edge of the city, and about the furthest point you could get if you wanted to be away from everyone else. And contrary to its name it wasn't anything to do with the water at all, simply a series of fenced-off areas where ancient garbage trucks would park before heading out to the dumps. They were still there, but now they were just rotting away with nobody bothered enough to move or repair them, just an extension of Satellite's could-been's, would-been's.

As a result, it made for cheap land. Arakawa's house – a shack, really – could easily have been the complete opposite of the large mansion Martha inherited. Despite the frame that looked like it would blow away in a rainstorm and the mismatched pieces of corrugated metal nailed together for the roof and walls, it wasn't a bad place to live. The foundation was secure, and Arakawa'd chosen a location that had a relative amount of protection from the elements, what with the old government-owned building long boarded down but still standing strong beside them.

It had taken two months for Yusei to accept it, that this place was now home. And yet he still hadn't properly absorbed the fact either, the fact that everyone he loved and cared for was gone because of that one stupid fire, and that the only reason he escaped was because of him stupidly deciding to chase after Jack. Jack was alive, he knew, but he'd gone off to Neo Domino and left his friends all alone.

But sometimes a person didn't have to feel, didn't they? Just understanding that there was no way back was enough – it provided the same result but without the pain.

His life fell into an easy schedule. Six days a week for the metaphorical nine-to-five, Arakawa would leave the house for his shift at the recycling plant everyone worked in. During those times, he was not allowed to leave the house and had to work on whatever he wanted, usually tinkering with some broken machinery and giving them new life. When Arakawa returned, they would eat before doing anything Yusei liked, and most of the time he took the opportunity to go out into the dump and fetch what he would've needed for the next day.

The last day (Sunday?) was special. The two of them would spend the greater half of the day improving the house and making repairs wherever needed. As a result, it had long-since doubled in size, and with a little bit of fiddling and a little repair from Yusei's half meant they had a pretty decent heating system, food storage system and a relatively constant power source free to be used – though after two days of cloud and rain the energy storage cells would start to run dry. Arakawa would take some time to go to the markets and occasionally the black market, to buy food and to sell the extra devices Yusei had fixed. That money went to the costs they took from the main power supply, and also to buying certain parts he couldn't get from the dumps.

Yusei reached into the toolkit around his belt and pulled out the finest pair of pliers he owned, ones that were probably once used for jewellery. Those twisted around a few hard-to-reach wires before finding themselves returned, and then he closed the hatch and pressed his makeshift 'on' button.

The radio flashed and buzzed into life, and Yusei got up to look for his guardian.

"—yes. I understand."

Arakawa was on the phone again, something not unusual for the time of day. Apparently it was from his father in Neo Domino, checking up on him and wanting to know if he was okay. The conversations were a bit odd for father and son, to say the least, but Yusei wouldn't have known –really, he shouldn't have been listening to something so private at all.

Instead, he held up the device in his hands when it seemed like the conversation was ending, dropping is voice to a whisper nevertheless. "Mister Hino's radio's done – it needed a complete replacement of its wires since they got corroded; tell him not to place it above his kettle next time since the steam can really get to it."

Arakawa nodded and absently glanced in Yusei's direction, an action that seemed to be more for the person on the line. "Of course. I'll have it done as soon as I—tonight. With the wharf, I can't get it any sooner. Should I—alright, I understand. He will be seeing you soon, then."

He hung up, and Yusei took the opportunity.

"Mister Arakawa? The radio's fix—"

Arakawa wasn't paying any attention, though, only far more intent on grabbing his coat and his overnight bag, throwing a multitude of things inside it. Far quicker than should have been normal, he grabbed a sling-on messenger pack and filled it as well before tossing it in Yusei's direction.

It was quickly caught before it could continue on its path and slam his head into a wall, and Yusei looked to the older man. "What—"

"There's no time," Arakawa breathed. "He wants to meet you—we're going to Neo Domino."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, writing 130k for NaNo took more out of me than I anticipated. About half of the duel was skipped due to turns under Yusei's lock where nothing much was happening, though some parts of Bommer's last speech are from the anime even though events have changed. (Yusei was able to work with his plan simply because of how ridiculously inflexible Bommer's deck is. And Ice Barrier decks have to be solidly built – he has to maintain a strong field presence or lose the duel.) There's a bit more on what happened for the lead-up too, so I hope the wait was worth it :)

I'll also have to catch up on 5D's and what's happening now as well, but I hear there's a new series called ZEXAL. Thoughts?

—Nex


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I'd like to quickly say that the 'past' part at the end of this chapter is _**out of order**__ compared to the rest_. After a brief bout of re-reading, I realized I only touched briefly on how Yusei got his Stardust and there's such an interesting story behind it I thought I may as well share. I'll get around to rearranging them soon – this one occurs way before he even meets Arakawa.

There's also a _hugely massive_ mistake on my part during the duel this chapter, something that slipped past detection until I finished checking. I'll probably rewrite it later, but you've probably been waiting for what's going to happen and don't really care about the specifics anyway. Instead, I changed a card's lore just for this chapter to fix it – hopefully it won't happen ever again.

Thanks to Kirei Ryuusei, Nightshade07, Chelseaj500, KaliAnn, FanficFemale, . NyghthawK . and JapaneseAnimeFreak16 for their support!

**::**

**White Night  
**_by Firefly Nexus_

**Chapter Five**

**::**

If there were any doubts remaining over Izayoi Aki's title of the Black Rose Witch being true, her semi-final duel removed them. Within the first five minutes it quickly became evident that it was no longer a duel, but a brutal slaughter to the death fuelled by Koda's purposeful taunts, and then the match evolved to sheer annihilation.

Yusei just watched the animalistic fear sink through the witch's adversary. Koda stood no chance; he was struck down in a mighty blast that left scorch marks in the ground.

"And with a swift strike, Izayoi Aki the Black Rose Witch is our other finalist for the Fortune Cup!" the MC crowed. "Please stay in your seats, ladies and gentlemen, because the Fortune Cup finals will be starting again in two hours! This is Ito Yusei versus the Black Rose Witch—_don't miss it!_"

It didn't take an idiot or a fool to notice the displeased gestures and noises the crowd made behind her, but Izayoi no longer flinched. In quick, deft movements the hairpin resecured the free-flowing strands of hair in front of her face and she stepped out of the arena, ignoring the audience that only wished for her demise.

The tapping of heels against the tiled floor was what alerted Yusei to her presence and he turned around to see her stopped where she stood, staring in his direction. He matched her gaze evenly, their faceoff only broken with the MC's calls faint in the background.

In the end, Izayoi was the one who broke their silence.

"You were waiting for me." He didn't answer, knowing his location beside the elevator was answer enough for her. She just continued. "What do you want?"

Yusei glanced to the HDU stationed nearby, the one he used to watch the duel. "Just to see your match."

"The waiting room isn't good enough for you?" Izayoi reached into her pocket to bring out a card – Tornado. Whilst it wouldn't normally be harmful in a duel, her psychic powers would definitely leave him feeling worse for wear, and she knew he knew. "I'll ask you again: why are you here?"

He watched her reaction carefully for his question.

"What was that red mark?"

Obviously that was the wrong question to ask, as her eyes narrowed dangerously and she gripped her right arm with a snarl. "Don't—you—_dare_—mention that—_wretched_—mark—"

"You know what it is, then. Is it related to the Crimson Dragon?"

Izayoi's glower was all he got in reply before she barrelled right past him and down the hallway, faintly biting her lip and throwing her head the other way so as to hide the gesture. Miyamura moved to apprehend her for treating his boss in such a way, but Yusei held an arm out to stop him.

"Let her be, Miyamura. I got what I wanted to know."

"But sir, she—"

"—is in a state where she won't freely cooperate." Yusei completed, cutting him off. "The only way it'll be possible to get information out of her would be via interrogation, and these aren't the most ideal surroundings for something like that."

"I understand, Master Yusei. Would you like me to make arrangements?"

Yusei shook his head. "The Arcadia Movement will probably prevent us from doing so—Divine is a particularly unpredictable character. I didn't think that the marks were connected with the 'Crimson Dragon' Bommer informed me about, but her reaction states otherwise." He paused. "See if you can have Miyuri schedule in a meeting with Godwin – there's always been something he hasn't told either me or the former Lord Ito, and I intend to get that information out of him."

"Immediately, sir." Briefly, a flicker of some other emotion crossed his bodyguard's face before it disappeared, and Miyamura's expression returned to its usual, expressionless mask. "You will still commence your match with the Black Rose Witch next round, correct?"

"I need to. Backing down now will only convince people that the White Dragon is only just another corporation wanting to increase their publicity with an event of this calibre. I must win the tournament as a duelist with a deck that should be feared, not as a duelist who runs away in the face of danger."

Miyamura bowed. "I understand. But do not forget, Lord Ito would not have wanted you to come to any harm, and it is my job to ensure you don't get hurt."

Perhaps it was due to pre-duel excitement or the anticipation buzzing in the air, but Yusei found himself smiling and waving dismissively as he compiled his response. He tapped the ground deck on his belt and looked to Izayoi's damage in the arena again, seeing without really seeing.

"Don't worry about it," he grinned and set about replacing the turbo deck registered in the system with his other. "You of all people should know just how effective my ground deck is, especially when it's been rearranged just for this match. Plants can thrive in plenty of conditions so long as they have sunlight and the nutrients they need within the soil, but in the Wetlands, roses will find it hard just to stay alive."

**::**

The MC jumped onto the podium and pulled the microphone closer to him, his hairstyle shaking comically when he leant a dangerous distance forward.

"And now, the duel you've all been waiting for; the final match! It's Ito Yusei versus Izayoi Aki! Will the Black Rose Witch strike down her opponent, or will this mysterious raven knight prevail?"

Various insults flew down the audience amongst demands for Yusei to wipe the floor, but Izayoi's only response was to ignore them. She glared at him instead. "I'll send you into the other world."

"I don't intend to go," Yusei commented.

A lazy smirk just painted its way across her face. "Not even to join your beloved _father_?"

"That's enough." Yusei couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the insinuation, reaching for his duel disk instead. "Let's get this party started."

"With pleasure."

In eerie synchronicity, each drew their opening hand and twin voices echoed the beginning.

"Duel!"

**/ Izayoi: 8000 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 8000 \**

"Ladies first," she drawled, adding a sixth card to her hand. "I place a monster facedown. Your move."

The holographic systems projected a singular card before her, a far-too frail line of defence. Yusei knew better than to underestimate her though, simply drawing for the start of his turn.

"I summon Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier in attack mode."

Within a flurry of miniature ice crystals, a dark, heavyset man emerged on his side of the field [ATK 1300/DEF 0/*2]. Then Yusei's fingers paused when they hovered over his key card, knowing his key pieces were in his hand and allowing himself a small smile. "Do you know what the main weakness of your plants are?"

"What?"

"Only a few of them are adaptable enough to live in a new environment without falling close to extinction," he replied. "I activate the Field Spell card, Wetlands!"

As soon as he slid the field spell slot open to the side of his duel disk and plugged his new card in, their surroundings were quick to change. Incredible amounts of water seemed to seep through the floor until it couldn't hold any more and various long grasses sprouted up at astounding rates around the arena. Soon, the two were enclosed in nothing but grass, water and swamplands, the two duellists only spared by the holographic wooden structures they stood on that seemed to keep them sinking into the mud.

Izayoi's eyes widened briefly when his Cyromancer disappeared into the growth, looking around for where he was. "What—"

"Wetlands is a specific Field Spell that only applies to level two or lower monsters on the field, leaving those above the criteria alone. However, those that do fit in the criteria gain themselves a 1200 attack point bonus."

"And your Cyromancer—"

"Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier is a level two Aqua-type, Water-attribute tuner monster, with a 1300 base attack. This card brings it up to 2500," he explained. "Go, attack her facedown monster!"

There was only a rustle of leaves and the faint splash of feet on water before the Cyromancer seemed to appear from nowhere, slashing the ice crystal staff down and causing the facedown to shatter into countless pieces. However, before they finished fading away a small glow came from Yusei's side, a vine-covered rock slab emerging from the ground [ATK 0/DEF 0 –_to_– ATK 1200/DEF 0].

"When Wall of Ivy is flipped face-up, an Ivy Token is summoned to your side of the field," Izayoi stated to the silent question.

Yusei frowned briefly at the effect but did note the defence position the token was in. "Turn end."

"The raven knight has managed to tie the witch in quite the bind with the play of his key card!" the MC exclaimed. "But it's only the start of the third turn, so with over thirty cards left in each of their decks there's plenty of time to turn this game around!"

She didn't blink, moving with almost mechanical actions. "I draw."

**/ Izayoi: 8000 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 8000 \**

"You mention that only some of my plants are able to adapt," she commented. "Unfortunately for you, I've drawn one right here. Come to me, Horseytail!"

An unexpectedly cute humanoid vegetable emerged amidst a cacophony of cherry-shaped musical notes, twirling before striking a pose. It then seemed to expand a bit as soon as it touched the field proper, absorbing some of the water and blending into the weeds [ATK 400/DEF 500 –_to_– ATK 1600/DEF 500].

"Horseytail, attack the Ivy Token!"

It would have been a lie to say that Yusei was expecting the blow to his stomach when the Horseytail let out a stream of pink and yellow bubbles, causing his Ivy Token to explode. He only barely managed to catch himself before he fell to the ground, and then he couldn't tear his eyes away from his life point score.

**/ Izayoi: 8000 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 7700 \**

A metallic chink jerked him back to see her hairpin landed beside her feet, and she kicked it away.

"Surprised?" Izayoi taunted. The free-flowing strands before her face swayed as she talked, like snakes about to strike. "My deck isn't an ordinary bunch of plants, it's a synchronised melody of perfection. With you taking three hundred points of damage if Ivy Token is destroyed, it's probably in your best interests that you realize my psychic abilities – I'll try to make it something you can remember for the rest of your life. Don't think I've forgotten your Cyromancer's ability to prevent level four or higher monsters from attacking from your last duel, either. Two cards facedown, end turn."

Yusei gritted his teeth, somehow stumbling upright. Three hundred points of damage – _only_ three hundred out of eight thousand, and he was going to get a generous plate-sized bruise near his spleen. Their earlier encounter had no doubt left her more annoyed and more determined to hurt him than she would have been, something that he would have much rather avoided without a doubt.

He accidentally caught her gaze when he drew and almost dropped the card at the look in her eyes. He'd seen it in some of the worst people he'd ever had to come across from his position in the Yakuza. It—there was no mistaking it.

The MC probably said something but found himself left ignored by the two duelists, their minds only belonging within their cards and with their stratagems.

"You enjoy it," he whispered, wondering why a young girl like her would find torture so pleasant. Even he who had been trained to kill found it hard to end another's life, but to play with pain was insane. "Why do you enjoy seeing people hurt?"

She just smiled, a cruel, cruel smile that fit on her pretty face impossibly well.

"_Because I'm a monster._"

Yusei really did drop the card this time, it accidentally falling onto his duel disk as he was placing it in his hand. With long-practised ease, he pushed back the memories the word _monster_ revived, simply concentrating on his misplay.

"I—summon, Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier in face-up attack."

The snowy-haired teenager rose up from the water's surface, gripping its blades firmly, and then faded into the grasses as well [ATK 100/DEF 1600 –_to_– ATK 1300/DEF 1600]. Misplays were rare and often fatal, but thankfully, his field spell would help mend the lack of offense on the monster's part.

"Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier's effect stops me from targeting your Ice Barriers with my monsters' effects, isn't that right?" Izayoi hummed, playing with her hair like a morbid rendition of an innocent child. "I remember it from your last duel as well. None of your cards are original – it's so predictable, it's almost disappointing."

Yusei ignored her – he had to concentrate before he made another mistake again. She shouldn't have affected him so badly, but—

"Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier attacks your Horseytail," he said, and she didn't even flinch as a cutting windstream blew past and took a chunk of her life points with it. It was only a hologram for her after all.

**/ Izayoi: 7100 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 7700 \**

"Trap activation: Sinister Seeds," she said, and her mechanical movements returned. "This card lets me summon a Sinister Seed Token for every multiple of 500 damage I just took from that battle."

The glowing remains of the destroyed Horseytail came together again, reforming themselves into her token. It swelled slightly when the glow dissipated [ATK 100/DEF 100 –_to_– ATK 1300/DEF 100].

Yusei frowned, and ended his turn.

"Draw." She took two cards out of her hand, before sliding one into her Duel Disk. "Spell activation: Spell Shattering Arrow. All face-up spell cards on your side of the field are destroyed, and you take 500 damage for each."

With another punch to the chest, Yusei slowly moved the field spell to his Graveyard, and the two monsters that had been hidden on his side of the field appeared again.

**/ Izayoi: 7100 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 7200 \  
**/ **Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier** [ATK 2500/DEF 0/*2 –_to_– **ATK 1300/DEF 0/*2**] \  
\ **Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier** [ATK 1300/DEF 1600 –_to_– **ATK 100/DEF 1600**] /  
\ **Sinister Seed Token** [ATK 1300/DEF 100 –_to_– **ATK 100/DEF 100**] /

She wasn't done.

"Sinister Seed Token is tributed to bring forth Rose Tentacles, in attack mode." The token glowed before reshaping into a summon portal and allowing her octopus-like creature to appear; a creature with a giant rose bud substituting for the head and powerful thorny vines in place of its tentacles [ATK 2200/DEF 1200]. "Rose Tentacles' effect allows it to gain an extra attack for each Plant-type monster on your side of the field."

Yusei grit his teeth. "Its effect doesn't target any of my monsters, so my Secret Guards' effect can't counter it."

"Exactly."

"You're forgetting something, though," Yusei completed. "None of my monsters are Plant-type."

Izayoi smirked. "Trap activation: Ivy Shackles. This changes the attribute of all monsters on your field to Plant-type during my turn. Not that it matters in your turn, anyway."

/ **Cyromancer of the Ice Barrier** [Aqua – _to_ – **Plant**] \  
\ **Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier** [Aqua – _to_ – **Plant**] /

"Now, my Battle Phase begins and Rose Tentacles gains an additional two attacks this turn, bringing the amount of times it can attack to three. Go, _Thorn Whip 1!_"

Rose Tentacles reared, before launching one of its legs out and through his Cyromancer, seemingly shattering the hologram into pieces. The leg continued in Yusei's direction to lash his stomach, dealing the battle damage that came from the difference in attack.

**/ Izayoi: 7100 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 6300 \**

Unexpectedly, it didn't retreat, simply moving to wrap against his own leg instead. He winced as the thorns bit through his pants and into his skin as it shifted, far too close to his crotch for comfort, and could only watch as his Life went down again.

**/ Izayoi: 7100 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 6000 \**

"What—?"

"Rose Tentacles deals an additional three hundred points of damage whenever it destroys a Plant-type monster in battle. Unfortunately for you, it seems like all of your monsters are Plant type, doesn't it? Rose Tentacles, _Thorn Whip 2!_"

This time Yusei tried to brace himself when his Secret Guards were destroyed, but he was quickly sent to the ground from the 2100 power difference when the thorn swung in from the side. The effect damage soon followed, in the form of it wrapping around his other leg, both of the vines twisting and damaging the fibres of his pant legs.

**/ Izayoi: 7100 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 3600 \**

"And now! _Last Thorn Whip!_"

This time, two of the thorns were shot into his direction, wrapping tightly against his bruised torso despite his attempts to parry – with a field empty of Monsters, Spells and Traps, he never had much of a chance. Then, all four were used to lift him at least six feet into the air before they slammed him into the ground, one of the thorns accidentally knocking his tie pin away in the process.

**/ Izayoi: 7100 \ - - - - - / Yusei: 1400 \**

The MC said something again and the crowd cried louder for him to get back up onto his feet, but all Izayoi did was take two cards and place them face-down, then ending her turn.

Slowly, Yusei reached across for the pin before sliding up onto his feet with greater ease than he predicted. Tucking it into a pocket, he mused that he should have had _some_ kind of bone fracture somewhere, but the only pain he felt lay in a serious throbbing at the back of his head.

He didn't know why, but he would deal with it as it was – he couldn't think about it during the duel. It would have to be later.

He tucked the pin into a pocket discreetly, concerned that the crowd would be able to identify his status in the corporation earlier than planned. It wasn't surprising they didn't know him by name, since there was only a leak saying the former _oyabun _had adopted a son. When the time came, he would be the one to tell everyone.

He grit his teeth without thinking and scanned the field and his own hand. The possibilities were dire; he'd made a mistake and he would be paying for it. Dueling, after all, would essentially be a mind game, and his trained mental barriers were slipping.

For the second time in three days, Godwin was right – he didn't have the mental strength needed to be a boss.

From the corner of his eye, his strongest dragon seemed to wink from his Extra Deck, encouraging him. Yes – Ice Barriers survived by evolving and restricting others' ability to evolve, and Yusei needed to adapt to his situation if he wanted a chance of staying alive.

One card, the possibilities said. He needed one card to turn his situation around, but only a two out of thirty-three chance of drawing it. The probabilities weren't as bad as they could have been, but...

He closed his eyes, and drew.

**.**

**::**

**.**

Yusei hummed, snipping off another reasonable piece of duct tape. He used it to finish sealing off the side of the heater he'd unceremoniously cut open, and glanced around him for his jacket. Yes, the heater would be a wonderful gift for Martha, especially since the chill was coming and heating appliances in the Satellite were difficult to obtain.

He leant against the wall of the shelter again and sighed, taking a moment to rest before he went home. Kiryu would no doubt be searching for him like mad, since he'd only mentioned a visit to the dumps for some parts he needed and no, there was no need for accompaniment because he'd be quick. The Kyosuke had always felt an unnatural attraction toward him, refusing to be away from his _nii-san_ for long periods of time that peace and quiet became somewhat of a relief.

Yusei flinched.

No. It couldn't be relief, because that would mean he hated the company of his friend and Kiryu wouldn't be his friend anymore. No one deserved to be judged simply because they acted differently around him, and it would only be right for him to create an opinion on others' character by understanding the way they interacted with the outside world.

Martha had at least given him that chance, even after he'd gone and punched the lights out of one of his best friends.

A loud whoop came from around the corner of the rickety metal structure, and Yusei curiously stuck his head out to see two young men facing each other in the middle of an empty patch of field. One look at the activated Duel Disks and the monsters on each side became more than enough to inform him about the presence of a duel.

One of them – a brunette with a long bowl-cut – flicked his head, the dark tresses flying as he did so. "Was that noise a sign of defeat? Surely you should know by now that you're no match for my gallery of beautiful ladies."

He waved to the pink-haired elf enswathed with autumn leaves on his side of the field, and she giggled shyly before hiding behind one arm.

"As if," the second scoffed. The distinctive red spikes for his hair and over his clothes were hard for Yusei to tear his eyes from, but the guy continued to speak. "I've just drawn the card that I need."

"Oh?"

"Seriously." He made to place a card on his Duel Disk, but stopped halfway to pull a face. "And stop that way of talking, I think you're embarrassing me."

The first ducked his head. "Shut up, I'm practicing my moves."

"Like you can even get hooked with _those_ lines. Anyway..."

Another pause followed as the second started to dance.

The first scowled. "Just _play the damn card_, James!"

"But _Damian_, you can't _believe_ how long I've been waiting to use this!"

Damian stared. "The heck are you on?"

James rolled his eyes and muttered something darkly, but finally slid the card on regardless.

"I summon the tuner monster, Copy Plant!" In response, a considerably small bundle of roots rose out of the ground with two green eyes hidden behind them [ATK 0/DEF 0/*1]. It swelled and grew larger as a result of absorbing some yellow sparkles, and its owner struck a pose. "I tune! Go, go, go, level three Acrobat Monkey and level five Copy Plant!"

"What the hell? Level _five—_?"

James tutted.

"Copy Plant's ability lets me change its level to another Plant-type monster's on the field," he explained.

"But you've got no Plant-type monsters—" Damian began, but his expression froze as his eyes drifted to his Duel Disk. "No way, man. No way."

"_Yes_ way! Don't go forgetting about your Queen of Autumn Leaves now, won't you? Now descend, my beautiful, _Stardust Dragon!_"

When a shower of light too rich to possibly be holographic fell around him, Yusei's world stopped, his sight tinted blue. In slow motion, a crystalline dragon took that moment to unfurl from the tuning rings he'd only seen on television, and it let off a beautiful, keening roar that would echo in his ears for days to come.

The duel continued even as Yusei payed no attention, but Damian's scoff jerked him back to reality.

"Gay sparkles, man. And wasn't your deck confiscated when we were arrested? How'd you get a Synchro in this dump anyway?"

Yusei felt somewhat affronted, though he didn't know why.

"I hid it in my pants."

"...More gay."

"Hey, Security don't check."

Damian rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. So you've got a Synchro out. Any last words?"

"Wha—"

"Time's up." He flicked his hair again, just as he pressed a button. "My girls don't like dragons. Especially gay ones."

Yusei felt the insulted sensation again, and wondered why it had to do with a card he'd never even met before in his whole life.

"You—_what—?"_

"You're not the only one who can smuggle cards. Counter trap, Black Horn of Heaven! Any kind of Synchro Summoned beast is guaranteed to be scared after hearing my ladies play this song, because this negates a Special Summon!"

James jerked forward. "Wait, wait! I've got this, 'cause I actually read the card this time! Activate Stardust Dragon's effect—"

"—I read cards too, moron. And read again; my trap _negates_ the summon, which means your dragon's not considered to be on the field yet, so its effect can't activate!"

"...you're _joking_."

But he hadn't been joking, as a winged, black ivory horn materialized from the trap card's image. The pink-haired elf – Queen of Autumn Leaves – only needed to play a single note before Stardust Dragon's image shattered, inches before it descended upon the ground. A part of Yusei's heart seemed to crack alongside it, that part breaking when the white card floated off the Duel Disk and hit the dirt floor.

James placed a hand over his deck and fell to his knees, the field fading away at the surrender.

"Goddamnit!" he growled. "I knew it was too good to be true, finding a tuner in the Satellite and getting such a powerful Synchro for cheap! _Che_, the man wasn't freaking kidding me when he said the stupid thing was cursed!"

"Cursed?" asked Damian.

"Yeah. Apparently it doesn't matter whoever is duelled, they'll somehow have a card ready to destroy it as soon as it gets summoned. And even if they don't have any cards like that in their deck to begin with, the right cards are never drawn or anything like that—"

James punched the floor, eyes filled with smouldering rage.

"Hey, man, it's not the end of the world—"

James got up and jerked away from Damian's surprisingly concerned expression, snarling as he kicked the white card deeper into the ground. "Are you _freaking_ kidding me? Winter's coming and I spent my last eighty quid on that plant, 'cause I was going to use my ultimate combo to win duels and get enough cash for a heater or some other _goddamned_ thing—"

Yusei didn't know why he'd moved, or when, but he found himself facing James' furious brown eyes and couldn't help shying away from the gaze. "Ah. Um. Hello."

"What do you want, kid?"

"Um," he mumbled, "that—that card you just used..."

"What, this piece of junk?" James asked, gesturing to the dragon by kicking some more dust over it.

Yusei's anger flared, and his determination rose as a result. Seeing the action finally gave him the answer he searched for – he saw himself in the card, and wanted to prevent its suffering the way his adopted family did to him. "It's not junk."

For a few moments James just stared down at him in a way similar to how Crow would go around challenging the orphans to see who would be the manliest, and Yusei stood stock-still without flinching just like his orange-haired friend kept trying to drill into his brain. It wasn't easy because of the height difference and he felt like tearing his eyes away, but his pride kept stopping him.

Finally, James kneeled down to ruffle Yusei's spikes, and Yusei grumbled at the change of demeanour. Those took him _ages_ to comb each morning. Ages. Eons. _Centuries._

"Heh," James laughed, turning to talk to Damian. "I like this kid. He's got guts." Looking back to Yusei again, he smiled. "If you say so, buddy. What're you going to do, trade me for it?"

"We're from the City, mind you," Damian added. "So we know what that thing's worth, and won't have you scampering for a cheap deal."

Yusei nodded, trying not to change his expression. City people were always so easy to deal with, since they longed for luxuries that Satellites were used to not having. "I heard you earlier and you wanted a heater, right?"

The two gave various levels of confirmation, and Yusei returned with his happiest smile. (For some reason Nerve would always mutter something about it being the devil's smile – so innocent and dazzling that it only gave an option to follow out or deny, the latter bringing huge amounts of guilt.) "Easy! I'll trade mine for it! Hang on, it's just around the corner."

As he ran back to the shelter, he knew he wouldn't regret his decision. He hadn't told Martha about the heater, but it would always be easy to find another one to work on instead, and they still had their fireplace and each other for company. She would understand anyway, since she would always smile and tell him to just do good for others whenever he asked her how he could repay the favour.

Once the trade had easily been completed, Yusei wasted no time in dusting the card off with the hem of his shirt before staring at it, etching each and every detail into memory. The sweeping wings. The shining silver scales. The protective curve of its body, promising to fulfil its part in each and every duel, and to bring him to victory.

He carefully placed it in his deck so he could leave, swearing to never, _ever_ throw it away.

* * *

**Card Specs:**

**Card Name: Wetlands**

**Details: **Spell - Field

**Card Text: **All (Aqua-Type/WATER/)Level 2 or lower monsters gain 1200 ATK.

**Notes: **I accidentally mistook the effect, and the full lore includes the words in the brackets. However, the duel for this chapter doesn't use it. (It will be rewritten eventually, though.)

* * *

**A/N: **So I hope you enjoyed that little 'past' story about Stardust :) I hope that even though I'm essentially re-writing parts of the anime that you aren't bored of the story, since I've tried to add little twists and change things a lot. (Some things are 'destined' to happen, though, but I think I've changed all I can.)

Just curious, but would anyone be interested in polls to decide the outcome of the story? There are a few paths I can take so I thought I'd leave them open-ended and gather your opinions before deciding.

—Nex

[Also, anyone who hasn't gotten up to/seen 143-144 should really do so. I've finally gotten up to date, and it's _amazing._]


End file.
